The Boston Celtics rediscovered their shooting rhythm and dominated the New York Knicks 115-93 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
After a pair of cold shooting performances at home, Boston erupted by hitting 20 of 40 attempts from beyond the arc, overwhelming a Knicks team that never mounted a serious comeback.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Payton Pritchard came off the bench to contribute 23 points on 5-for-10 shooting from deep.
The Celtics, who went just 25-for-100 from three-point range across Games 1 and 2, started Game 3 by knocking down their first four attempts from long distance, setting the tone for a wire-to-wire victory.
Boston took a commanding 36-20 lead after the first quarter and extended the gap to 71-46 by halftime, neutralizing the Garden crowd that included numerous celebrities and high-paying fans.
Jaylen Brown added 19 points and Derrick White chipped in 17 for the reigning NBA champions, who trimmed the series deficit to 2-1 and will look to even it in Game 4 on Monday.
Jalen Brunson paced New York with 27 points and seven assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Knicks managed only five made threes on 25 attempts (20%) and shot just 68.6% from the free-throw line, with Mitchell Robinson going 4-for-12 as the Celtics deployed intentional fouls to exploit his weakness.
Tatum, who had struggled in the first two games by shooting a combined 12-for-42, went 8-for-20 in Game 3 and drained five of nine attempts from beyond the arc.
Pritchard, recently named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, gave the Celtics crucial energy and floor spacing, helping to push the lead as high as 31 points in the second half.
Boston also won the rebounding battle 50-43 and posted 23 assists while turning the ball over just eight times.
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday night in New York, before the series returns to TD Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday.
